By all means it was a 5 star resort. But we expected a little more being a One and Only. Which I think is a little bit of a misnomer as many of the hotels both in Cabo (Capella, Las Ventanas) and elsewhere (particularly the Capella Ixtapa which can be had for much cheaper) were on par if not closer to that "6 star" experience that you expect from One and Only.

The Good:
ALL of the food was spectacular. We ate at every restaurant on property, trying different plates each time and particularly loved Agua (ate there 3x). While pricey, the value is absolutely there, given the high quality

The foot massages by the pool and the overall pool service over-delivered on the One and Only expectations we had.

Recommend the VIP airport service on the return trip - One and Only staff pretty much guide you through check-in, security (handling the bins; telling you what to take off/leave in bags/and escorting you to the VIP lounge). A no brainer for $25

The Not As Good:
Again, take this all with a grain of salt. The place was absolutely beautiful and 5 star - just at this level, I think people appreciate the constructive feedback.

The rooms were terrific - just not worth the $800-1200 regular rate, but at $500, absolutely. We recommend a room on the 2nd floor if booking a standard level room as the high ceilings are much more desirable than our friend's room on the ground level. Seems like if you can afford it, definitely book the suites with the private pool as their view over the beach is much more dramatic than our views of the family pool, which were somewhat obstructed by the many palm trees.

Bring your own golf clubs. The rental sets are very old and worn out. Course was beautiful and well maintained, but for the $300 greens fees, you'd expect a better rental set.

Housekeeping was a little iffy. Some glasses and dishes were not removed for several shifts. Butler service is overrated. You call and get transferred a couple times as if it were a regular front desk.

Definitely very family oriented. Granted we traveled during Thanksgiving week, but I imagine with one whole side of the resort dedicated to a family pool/etc, you can expect families most of the time.

The One & Only is one of the first hotels you pass when coming in from SJD airport. It is in Palmilla which is a very upscale residential area with Golf Club and dining terraced on a small hillside along the Sea of Cortez. The grounds are large and offer a very nice path through Palm trees and lit with hanging lights. This is a very appealing part of the property. The Old Mission on site offers a very Romantic backdrop ay Sunset hours and the staff are very friendly. They all greet you with a closed fist pressed flatly against their heart. Im told it is an old Mexican tradition that means .."THEY WELCOME YOU INTO THEIR HEART" It was a nice touch. The Jean Georges Restaurant is world Class.

I recently just returned from a 10 day Honeymoon in Cabo. My husband and I spent our first 5 day at Las Ventanas (LV) and our last five days at the One & Only (OO). Honestly, we wish we would have never left LV When you stand these two side by side there is no comparison - LV far exceeds OO in almost every way.

If you are looking for more of a "family" experience with children then the OO is your place. If you are looking for an escape (romantic or alone) from the world then there truly is no better place than LV. So enough about LV...this was our experience while at OO - I'll start with the Cons and end with the Pros -

CONS -

1) Check in - they seemed a little scrambled with the check-in process. My father had purchased us quite a few things from the OO Honeymoon Registry which were supposed to be transferred to our account as a credit when we arrived. They knew nothing of this and had no idea what I was talking about. The woman at the front desk kept asking if I had proof - and I had to explain to her that all I have is a log-in to the OO website and that it was showing a credit to the account almost a week prior. She them gave me an email address and asked that I please send a screenshot or some kind of proof to the head of weddings - which I ended up doing; but honestly - I am at your resort (not inexpensive mind you) for my Honeymoon and all of this should have been taken care of in advance not having me worry and run around once we have arrived.

2) Room view wasn't really worth the extra cost - We paid extra for a junior suite with a beach view. Honestly, it was just meh.....it wasn't like you could walk onto the beach or anything. Honestly, all of the views are beautiful...I wouldn't pay extra for beach view. We were also on the bottom level of the rooms and heard pipes (showers and toilet flushing) all the time. Not something you expect at a resort you pay $800+ a night for. Also the last two nights they put a family with two very young kids next to us. Add in the thin walls and two screaming kids (which happened to wake up around 6am every morning)...kinda a bummer to the end of our Honeymoon! The hotel knew we were on our Honeymoon...you think they would think about that before putting a young family next to two Honeymooners.

3) The adults pool was quite a bit crazier than we expected. Completely night and day from LV (I hate to keep comparing but it is REALLY hard not too!) The food was just okay - my husband ordered a burger medium it came out burnt and charred. I recommend going to one of the restaurants over eating at the pool. Seats are very hard to come by....we learned that after the first day. Need to go down and get your chairs before 10am, early if you can.

4) The service was just mediocure. After coming from LV it was like going from a 5 star property to a 2 star. The only staff highlight was our two butlers who honestly were great! The front desk staff were kinda rude and abrupt. We booked a rate that was for stay three nights get one free - we stayed five; so one ended up being free. We were also told by AMEX (we have a platinum) that we would get comp continental breakfast, free round of golf, and spa certificates. We re-confirmed this when we checked in BUT when we checked out there was all of the breakfast charges. We spoke to the front desk who then denied it and told us that we couldn't use the promotion and our AMEX fine resorts amenities couldn't be used!?!? Don't get how the story changed...but no matter...we are working with AMEX on it now.

5) I am a big massage and spa snob - we had a couples treatment done which was probably one of the worst massages I have ever had...the masseuses just seemed to be going through the movements and were making lots of noise moving around the room and grabbing stuff out of counters and closets. I had been begging my now husband for a couples massage for forever - unfortunate that our first one was just so-so.

PROS

1) The Market Restaurant - AMAZING!!!! My husband is a HUGE foodie and we ate twice here. The food was some of the most delicious we have ever had anywhere! I highly recommend the duck with jordan almonds and the corn souffle....but everything is amazing!

2) Our butlers were great...so personable and willing to go way above and beyond. They always paid attention to the details and honestly were the highlight of our stay.

3) It was really nice to have a beach we could swim on which is the only thing LV was lacking. We also took advantage of a full day fishing charter which departed from the north beach - SO MUCH FUN!!!!

4) Landscaping and scenery - the hotel itself is stunning - no doubt. You feel like you are in a tropical island - absolutely breathtaking!

5) The moonlight table at Agua is a MUST!!! You have to reserve far in advance though...highly recommend!

Overall, if we went to Cabo again we would definitely be staying at LV over OO. It just doesn't have the details and level of service as LV...and in my opinion wasn't worth the price. We would however come back to eat at Market & Agua.

My husband and I recently returned from an October 27-30th stay at the One and Only Palmilla. The airport pickup went smoothly, as did the check in process. The property is very beautiful during the day, and breathtaking at night due to the unique and romantic lighting all around the resort. I have a dietary restriction due to an allergy and prior to our arrival I contacted the resort to give them plenty of advanced notice and make sure it would not be a problem for it to be accomodated. It is a stressful thing for me to have to worry about while traveling, plus I think it is only fair not to surprise a resort with a request of that sort. They assured me it wouldn't be a problem and even put me in touch with one of the chefs who again reiterated everything would be taken care of, everyone would be notified, and not to worry. Upon arrival however both our butler and the first restaurant we went to had no idea what I was talking about (had not been informed and had no idea exactly what the restriction was when it was described to them). I spoke to the concierge and to their credit, within 20 minutes one of their chefs and a restaurant manager came and cleared things up. After that, things went much more smoothly. I can definitely see why so many people love this resort. That being said, I didn't really see anything that made it far and away better than any other luxury resort we have been to (and in fact, some of the others did things a lot better).

Some of the negatives: The food amenities in our room which were supposed to be replenished daily were not and dirty dishes were not taken away (which attracted bugs). The pool staff were hit or miss. I am pretty self sufficient and have no problem going to the restaurant myself to get what I want, but if you are the kind of person who wants to be paid attention to after you get your initial ice bucket, this may annoy you. We returned to our room one night to find a package from the boutique on the foyer table (with a paid receipt with our name and room number on it). The problem? We did not order anything. Then that same night the airconditioner in our room was very noisy, which was no big deal, but on that night the noise got so bad I opened the door to see what was going on. I was greeted with a unit the was covered in unraveling duct tape that dropped a large chunk of ice on the ground into an already formed puddle. We called for maintanance and they sent someone quickly, which was good. However, it was late and I was exhausted and the maintanace guys were in our room for over an hour and a half. As the guys were working there was a knock on the door and the butler was there to deliver yet another boutique item I did not request (with again, my name and room number). The only other thing I would have liked to have seen would be the option for more active water pursuits at the hotel itself (stand up paddlboarding, kayaking, etc). As it stands now, these things are available, but only off property through other companies.

Now for the good: the chefs and restaurant staffs (after the initial mix up) were phenomenal. Chef Alex at Market and Suviche was very nice and helpful (as was the pastry chef). Chef Alexis at Agua went WAY above and beyond what I would have ever expected. He not only made up separate menus, but offered additional off the menu suggestions as well. For our anniversary he made a special five course menu incorporating my restrictions (which is not an easy feat). It was creative, delicious and very much appreciated. The workout room was nice and well staffed, and the spa was relaxing and lovely. The room was very nice, the grounds are beautiful, the food was delicious, and the pool was very clean and scenic. Additionally, as part of the airport transportation back to the airport it was nice having a resort employee come in to help expedite the check in process.

All in all it was a very nice trip. Will we be back? Perhaps. Our experience could very well have been a fluke, and so many people rave about it that I would be willing to give it another try. That being said, I didn't see anything to struck me as something that could not easily be found at any other high end luxury resort.